Drawbridge.



H. A. ICKE.

DRAWBRIDGE.

APPLICATION FILED IULY15 1914- 1 JQQ QQQ Patented May 25,1915.

3 SHEETSSHE A TTORN E Y8 THE NORRIS PETERS C0, PHOTG-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C

H. A. ICKE.

DRAWBRIDGE.

APPLICATION FILED JULYIS. 1914.

LELQQ QQQO Patented May 25, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

w W ill I] A TTORNEYS THE N PRIS PETERS 60., PHDTOVLITHOH WASHINGTONv D. C.

H. A ICKE.

DRAWBRIDGE. APPLICATION FILED JULY15. 1914-.

Patented May 25, 1915.

LRQQQSQD 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES A TTOR/VE Y8 THE NORRIS PETERS 60., FHOTG-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, D. (L

HENRY ARTHUR ICKE, OF VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

DRAVVBRID GE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 11915.

Application filed July 15, 1914. Serial No. 851,666.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. IOKE, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Victoria, in the Province of British Columbia, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drawbridges, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bridges adapted to be moved out of the way of traflic, such as vessels when the bridge is over a waterway, and it has particular reference to what are technically known as bascule bridges, and one of th main objects is to provide flexible suspension means for the bascules and means movable along an overhead arch for flexing said suspension means to raise the bascules and thus form a gap for the passage of vessels.

A further object is to provide sheaves movable along said arch for accomplishing this result, and to provide means for equalizing the weight of said bascules.

My invention is fully described in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts are designated by the same reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary, side, elevation of a bridge constructed in accordance with a present preferred form of embodiment of my invention, in normal position; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the gap open for permitting vessels to pass; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail of Fig. 2, in plan, in the direction of the arrow 00, Fig. 5 is an enlarged, sectional, view on the line 55 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged, side, view of the parts shown in Fig. 5.

In the drawings forming a part of this application I have shown a little more than one-half of a bridge constructed in accordance with my invention, and comprising an arch 10, entirely spanning a waterway or other point which it is desired to bridge, a support or anchor 11 at each end thereof, and a roadway 12, said roadway being composed of a plurality of sections 13, 14, 15 and 16, of which the first is supported by rods, chains or cables, 17 secured at the upper ends to the arch 10, the second by similar suspension means 18, and the third and fourth by flexible cables, chains, or the like, 19 and 20, respectively, and said sections are hinged together, as shown at 21, the suspension means of each section being in the approximate position of its hinged connection with the adjacent section, and all of the said suspension means are secured, preferably, to the upper or convex portion of the arch, in the form shown.

The lower chord of the arch is provided with two tracks 22 and 23, one on each side of said chord and a pair on each chord at the respective sides of the arch, only one chord being shown at 24, and the tracks at the outer and inner faces thereof in Fig. 5, two rollers 25 being arranged on each track and arranged in a frame 26 carrying a sheave 27 in the positions of the suspension cables 20, only one of such cables being shown.

Similar rollers 28 in a frame 29 carrying a sheave 30 is also provided for each of the suspension cables 19, only one of which is shown, said frames, in the form shown, being maintained against the respective suspension cables by gravity because of the inclination of the arch, and I connect a cable 31 to the frame 26 and reeve the same through a pulley 32 on a frame 33, provided with rollers 34 movable on a sinusoidal track 35 adjacent the arch anchors, thence over a fixed pulley 36, again around the pulley 32, and again upwardly and connected with the frame 29, a guiding roller 37 being provided on the frame 29 for the cable 31, and also guiding rollers 38, 39, 40 and 41 on the arch, and it will thus be seen that the frame 33, carrying counterweights 42, acts on both of the sheave frames 26 and 29 but permitting greater movement of one than of the other.

The arch 10 is provided, in the position of each of the cables 19 and 20 with a curved deflecting seat for the respective cables, one of which is clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, at 43, but I may, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3, pass the cables 20 of the innermost bascule leaves over a pulley 44 to equalize the said leaves or sections, this requiring, however, that I provide means for maintaining said leaves in relationship with each other to prevent one moving below the other, as with an overload, or for other reasons, no such means being shown as they may be of any desired construction.

I may also provide equalizing bars 45, Fig. 6, for the members of the various cables at their points of connection, but any suitable equivalents may be employed, but I will provide against the action of wind on any of the said cables or other movable parts by having the said cables or parts held taut and against such movement, as,

for instance, the cable 31, which is held taut by the counterweights 4:2, and I may, under certain conditions, provide a transverse brace member 46, Fig. 5, for the frames 26 and 29, with their respective duplicates at the opposite side of the arch, for it will be understood that the arrangement shown is duplicated on the other side of the arch.

In Fig. 3 I have shown, diagrammatically, one method of moving the frames 26 and 29, through the medium of the frame 33, and in which an endless cable i7 is connected at 48 with the frame 33 and passed around a drum 49 adapted to be revolved by a motor 50, electric or of other power, said cable being guided by pulleys 51 and 52 held against movement, and it will be seen that, when the motor revolves the drum 49 in one direction, the counterweight frame 33 is moved upwardly upon its tracks 35, and, reversely, downwardly on said tracks, but I do not show a specific actuating device as many forms may be conceived and employed.

With the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 1, if the sheave frames 26 and 29 are moved downwardly of the arch, they defiect the suspension cables 20 and 19, respec-- tively, because of the sheaves in said frames bearing upon said suspension cables, and the bascule leaves are raised in the degree of such deflection or bending, and, when said sheave frames have reached their limits of travel, said leaves are at their highest point, and a gap is thus formed between the bascule leaves on each end of the bridge, if said bridge is divided in the center, as shown, this movement of the sheave frames being accomplished by means of the countel-weight frame 33, in the form shown, and

'movement of said frame 33 in the opposite direction permits said bascule leaves to resume a horizontal position. If, however, the .motor is connected directly with the sheave frames, either by means of suitable cables or by providing a motoron each frame .26 and 29, the counterweights are permitted to move freely, andit is for this 7 free movement of'said counterweights that the sinusoidal tracks are provided, the grades of which are determined, at all points, by the principle that the centerof gravity of all the moving parts traverses a horizontal line, with due consideration to the method of operation by the motors.

The counterweights are preferably, but not necessarily, reinforced bars of concrete spanning the space between theframes 33 on opposite arch girders, this being partially shown in Figs. 2 and 4,- but I do not limit myself thereto, nor to any other specific form, nor to any specific method of mounting the same so as to act upon the sheave frames 26 and 29, as this is capable of considerable modification or change, and, when the motor is not connected with said counterweights, but directly to the sheave frames 26and 29, it will be obvious that the equalizing method of passingthe cable 31 will not be employed.

My invention consists,primarily, of a nonmovable arch, carrying spans for a roadway at any height above the springing line, the spans on the convex side of the arch being supported by posts, not shown, and the spans on theconcave side of the arch being suspended by any suitable suspension means, one or more of said spans being in hinged connection with the adjacent span to serve as a bascule leaf, and the suspension means thereof being flexible and being deflected or bent out of normal position by suitable means traveling on the arch, such bending tending to raise the bascule leaves.

I am not aware that a non-movable arch has ever been used to support, and to form means for lifting, a bascule bridge, or that any part of the arch has been used to carry the counter-weights and to form the path on which they move and, with a reservation to myself of all desired changes in details of construction shown and described which will provide such a bridge,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is;-

1. A bridge, comprising an arch spanning the space to be bridged, a roadway suspended from said arch, a hinged bascule leaf forming a part of said roadway, flexible suspension means therefor, and means carried by said arch for flexing the same to raise 3. A bridge, comprising an arch spanning the space to be bridged, "a roadway suspended from saidarch comprising a fixed portion movable frame on said arch in the normal position of the suspension means of said hinged portion, on each side of said arch, a

corresponding suspension means, and means and a portion hinged thereto, a"

sheave carried by each frame andbearing on for flexing said suspension means by the movement of each frame along said arch.

4. A bridge, comprising an arch spanning the space to be bridged, a roadway suspended therefrom comprising a fixed portion and a portion hinged thereto, flexible suspension means for each side of the free end of said hinged portion, a movable frame provided with a sheave bearing against each of said suspension means, means for moving said frames to flex said suspension means and thereby raise said hinged portion, and counterweights for equalizing the weight of said hinged portion.

5. A bridge, comprising an arch spanning the space to be bridged, a roadway suspended therefrom comprising a fixed portion and a hinged portion, flexible suspension means for said hinged portion, means movable on said arch for flexing said suspension means to raise said hinged portion, means for moving said flexing means, a sinusoidal track on said arch, and a counter- Weight for said hinged portion movable on said track.

6. A bridge, comprising an arch spanning the space to be bridged, a roadway suspended therefrom, comprising a fixed portion and a hinged portion, stationary sus pension means for said fixed portion, flexible suspension means for the hinged portion, equalizing means in operative connection with said suspension means, and means for flexing said flexible suspension means to raise said hinged portion.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of the subscribing Witnesses.

HENRY ARTHUR ICKE.

Witnesses:

HERBERT C. BADGER, JULIUS H. YUGIE VON HELMET.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

